


evocation

by sincereously



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Magic Rituals, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:27:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27181790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincereously/pseuds/sincereously
Summary: "In my studies, I have read that the Shadow People have great facility in certain kinds of magic," the Wizard said, his gaze turned piercing. "My own powers should be sufficient for this ritual to succeed, but I - would not deny that some outside assistance could be useful." The last words had come out in a rush.Krobus was sure his eyes were boggling. "You want me to help?"
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53
Collections: Trick or Treat Exchange 2020





	evocation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Moonrocks_and_Stardust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonrocks_and_Stardust/gifts).



> Happy Halloween!

Snow crunched underfoot as Krobus slinked through the woods, the only sound besides the whistling of wind in the trees. The moon was full tonight, and Krobus couldn't stop himself from glancing up at it every so often, even if the brightness hurt his eyes. His family had warned him about spending too much time in the light ever since he was small, but Krobus liked the way that the moonlight made the shadows of the trees sharper against the snow. And how often did a Shadow Person get to see the moon anymore, anyway? The dark was safer, if not quite as pretty.

When he arrived at the tower, he hesitated. Wizards liked to think of themselves as set apart from the rest of humankind, this wizard more than many, but he was still human, and Krobus couldn't stop the shock of nervousness that shot through him as he knocked on the door. He had barely lifted his hand from the knocker when the door flew open on its own with a dramatic-sounding creak. 

_Wizards,_ thought Krobus as he slid inside.

"Ah, you've arrived," the Wizard said, not looking up from the runes he was writing on the floor. "Have you brought the reagent I've requested?" The warm light of the fire softened the shadows inside the tower, and the hum of magic from the runic circle almost vibrated inside Krobus. The cauldron nearby steamed with green smoke and made an ominous rumbling sound as Krobus quickly skirted it and approached the Wizard.

"It's right here," Krobus said, emptying a prismatic shard from his bag. It wasn't his normal stock, and he'd had to spend longer than he would have liked bargaining with Mr. Qi for it, but the Wizard had promised a substantial reward. Besides, Mr. Qi's conditions weren't usually too difficult, even if Krobus couldn't see why promising to personally take a magnifying glass to the bus stop next winter would be a worthwhile trade. 

What little attention the Wizard was paying to Krobus vanished entirely when he took the prismatic shard and brought it up to his face, as if examining it for defects. When the Wizard settled the shard at the center of the runic circle, Krobus had expected to get his payment and leave. Instead, the Wizard turned to him curiously. 

"Krobus," the Wizard asked, "what do you know of the Junimos?"

_He knows my name?_ "I've only heard of them once or twice," he said, shuffling to the door as subtly as he could. In the experiences he'd very much like to forget, it was never a good thing to have too much attention from wizards. "They're forest spirits, aren't they? My people didn't have many dealings with them." 

"They stayed out of the Elemental Wars," the Wizard said, and Krobus hoped that he couldn't see the shudder than passed through him at the reminder. "Only in the past few weeks have they returned. Most have arrived successfully, but one of their number was misdirected and became lost in another dimension." 

The Wizard glanced back and forth between Krobus and the runic circle, his hands tucked behind his back. The magic of the circle hummed louder; it made Krobus itch. 

"In my studies, I have read that the Shadow People have great facility in certain kinds of magic," the Wizard said, his gaze turned piercing. "My own powers should be sufficient for this ritual to succeed, but I - would not deny that some outside assistance could be useful." The last words had come out in a rush. 

Krobus was sure his eyes were boggling. "You want me to help?" 

The Wizard swallowed hard, as if his throat was aching, but he didn't turn his eyes from Krobus. "I do," he finally said, quietly. 

"I'm not sure about this," Krobus said, starting to shake a little. "I'm not a shaman, I never learned much magic - " And when he started thinking of what magic he _had_ learned, the shouts of the Dwarven army charging filled his mind so loudly he half-expected them to burst into the room at any moment.

The Wizard looked away for a moment, but when he turned back, his face was gentler. "I understand if you can't help, but I hope you will. This lost creature deserves to be reunited with his kind."

It was the last sentence that did it. "All right," said Krobus. "What do I need to do?" 

The Wizard positioned him in the center of the circle, with himself standing at the top of the arcane symbols. "Concentrate inward. When you arrive in the dimension, we will draw out the Junimo. Find it, and I will pull you both back here." 

As the Wizard began muttering softly in a language that Krobus didn't know, Krobus fought down the urge to run. _Concentrate inward. All right. How hard can that be?_

Shadow People didn't need to breathe, but taking a deep breath still helped. He focused, clearing his mind of anything but the runes and the feel of magic seeping into him, and now the magic didn't quite make him itch so much, like he and the vibrations had joined in tune. Like he was listening to the songs his people played, before there was ever a war. The vibrations increased inside Krobus, faster and faster like he would shake apart, then a hard _pull_ \- 

And then he was enveloped in the dark as the vibrations faded away. There was no other word for it, not even shadow - even the shadows needed a little light to exist, and this had none. He looked down and realized he couldn't see his own hands and feet, as if he could melt away into this world forever. _Is this what the void dimension was like?_ he wondered. 

Something darted at the edge of his vision, like a shaman's fireball. As he started to move toward it, the Wizard's presence boomed into his head, causing him to lose his focus. _Where did it go?_

"Well done," the Wizard said. "Wait while I prepare the finding spell. It'll summon the Junimo directly to you." 

Now that the queasiness of the runic vibrations had stopped, Krobus felt a little more at ease with this place. The dark hung over him like the humid air of the sewers - if he imagined a bit, he could pretend it was just an especially dark night balled up in a corner at home. There didn't seem to be such a thing as _floor_ here, but he found he could still move, sliding through the dark like he was a part of it. 

Another flash - there it was again! "Hello," he said, feeling a little silly at speaking into nothing. 

A little bluish-green creature floated toward him, like a Lunaloo just beneath the surface of the water a summer night. Well, Krobus knew better than to touch a Lunaloo (well, he did _now_ ) but he knew how you could get close to one - just be slow and careful, and no sudden moves. The Lunaloos were friendly enough too, as long as you let them take their own time. 

As Krobus took one step towards the Junimo, the Junimo seemed to jump towards him. It didn't seem scared, so he took another step, and another, and the Junimo wriggled happily towards him. Krobus could almost reach out to the creature when the vibrations of magic rang through the void like a bell, sending the creature scurrying away.

"Drat," the Wizard's voice echoed. "I'll try it again." 

"You're pulling too hard," Krobus said. "It's scaring him." Turning his head again, he thought he saw the Junimo again, a speck in the distance. 

"It's all right," said Krobus, moving towards the Junimo. "We're trying to take you to your friends. Want to come with me?" 

Slowly, carefully, Krobus slid closer. The Junimo hesitated for only a moment before leaping at Krobus again, and Krobus quickly caught the Junimo in his arms. He only had a moment to marvel at how soft it was before they hurtled together through the dark and landed on the floor at the Wizard's tower. 

Compared to the dark, the tower room was as bright and hot as a midday sun. Krobus covered his eyes and waited to stop trembling as the Junimo huddled closer to him, like it was trying to make sure he was fine. "Thanks," he said to it softly. 

As he opened his eyes, dozens more of the small creatures joined them, all in shades of blue and green and brown, bouncing across the floor with noises of high-pitched excitement that reminded Krobus of the _plink_ of water droplets falling from the pipes in the sewers. They gathered around their friend, who joined them in a close huddle while Krobus rubbed a hand against the sudden ache in his chest. _It's worth it,_ he thought as the Junimos tumbled around him. _Maybe not always, but sometimes, taking a chance can be worth it._

"They're amazing," was all Krobus could think to say. 

"They are," the Wizard replied softly. Even he seemed lost in wonder as they watched the Junimos pop away in a flash of light. 


End file.
